The Truth About the Benefits of Vitamins

There’s no question that this has been the season for controversy, on a wide variety of topics from the national debt to the best way to protect children in our schools.In the land of health care, there’s more in the hot seat than our health-care system itself—including a brewing controversy on whether or not we need our vitamins, and more specifically, whether you actually get vitamin benefits.

This topic is so hot that it was the focus of a half-day conference at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition. I was on hand to present my take on another hot potato: the great cholesterol myth, but I stayed an extra day to attend the full symposium on the benefits of vitamins.

What makes the issue so confusing is that the research on the benefits of vitamins is conflicting—and it’s often the negative studies that garner press attention.For example, you may remember the study that suggested vitamin E could cause prostate cancer—which isn’t true. The truth is, to get the benefits of vitamin E, you need to take this supplement in the correct formulation, a fact that was lost behind the headlines. Meanwhile, other studies have shown that men who take multivitamins decrease their cancer risk by 8 Percent, a huge vitamin benefit.

Those who take the con position on vitamins often claim that they do little more than promote expensive urine (well, maybe the water-soluble kind)—but that’s not what I found in more than three decades of practicing medicine.

Benefits of Vitamins Include Heart Health

The reason I began formulating supplements is because they’re some of the best weapons we have to treat cardiac conditions like angina, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias.In fact, I’ve seen the lab work for thousands of people documenting their nutrient deficiencies. As those deficiencies were corrected—with vitamins—I’ve personally watched their health status improve, dramatically.

The research on the positive benefits of the right vitamins speaks for itself:

So, what should you take to enjoy the benefits of vitamins? I recommend taking a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement. For optimal heart health, I also recommend what I call the “Awesome Foursome,” which is a combination of CoQ10, 50-150 mg daily; magnesium, 400-800 mg daily; broad-spectrum carnitine 1-2 g daily in divided doses, and D-ribose 5 g twice daily.

DISCLAIMER: The content of DrSinatra.com is offered on an informational basis only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health provider before making any adjustment to a medication or treatment you are currently using, and/or starting any new medication or treatment. All recommendations are "generally informational" and not specifically applicable to any individual's medical problems, concerns and/or needs.

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